Press Releases

On Saturday, September 28, Congressman Tim Kennedy (NY-26), House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (NY-08), local elected officials, and advocates called for the protection and expansion of reproductive rights amid the threat of Project 2025 and Republican attacks on reproductive freedoms. 

(From left to right: Masten District Councilwoman Zeneta Everhart, Assemblymember Jon Rivera, Assemblymember Karen McMahon, Dr. Sarah L. Berga, Congressman Kennedy, Annika Easaw, and Democratic Leader Jeffries.) 

“After the radical U.S. Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade, women have fewer rights than the generation of women before them,” Congressman Kennedy said. “Now, Trump’s Project 2025 and the extreme MAGA Republican agenda would continue these attacks on reproductive freedoms by robbing women of their right to an abortion, access to contraception, affordable IVF treatments, and privacy to make decisions about their own health. Together, we will codify Roe v. Wade into law and protect women’s reproductive freedoms. I thank Leader Jeffries for his leadership on this critical issue and all of the advocates who used their voice today to affirm that reproductive rights are fundamental human rights.” 

"House Democrats will always put people over politics, but at the same period of time, we've made clear that we will push back against Republican extremism whenever necessary," said Leader Jeffries. "Extreme MAGA Republicans have a plan to exercise further control over the women of Western New York, over the women of the state of New York and of the women of this entire country. It's called Trump's Project 2025. The stakes couldn't be any higher. Freedom is on the ballot."

“Physicians and other health care professionals endeavor to optimize reproductive care here in Western New York and elsewhere,” Sarah L. Berga MD said, Professor and Chair, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Jacobs School of Medicine & Biomedical Sciences. “We encounter a diversity of needs, perspectives, options, and barriers. We need your support to ensure that the care we provide is timely, compassionate, state-of-the art, and honors patient choice.”

“As most people in the United States do, I believe in protecting reproductive freedom, including abortion rights,” Annika Easaw said, President, UB Chapter, Planned Parenthood Generation Action. “We must do what we can to enshrine these freedoms for everyone. The Dobbs decision and the resulting abortion bans and restrictions across the country have made it clear—these rights are at stake. The freedom to decide if, when, and how to start a family is a human right. Those of us that are historically marginalized are hit the hardest by attacks on reproductive freedom, including abortion access. We will continue to fight, and until access is not only restored, but expanded, we will continue to lift up resources serving people in abortion-restricted areas. No matter which state you live in, INeedanA.com and AbortionFinder.org are both resources that can assist people in obtaining abortion care, either through travel or through obtaining abortion medication through the mail. We must all stand together, in solidarity, until reproductive freedom is ensured for everyone, everywhere.”

Additional Background:

The Project 2025 agenda is a radical blueprint to reshape American life and the way our federal government operates. If implemented, it would strip away fundamental reproductive rights, including: 

Criminalize Abortion - It would limit access to abortions pills, allow hospitals to deny life-saving abortions, and would establish abortion surveillance systems that would violate women’s privacy. 

Restrict Access to Contraception - It would restrict access to contraceptives that allow women to have control over when and if to have a family. 

Attack Fertility Treatments - Project 2025 would strip women and couples from accessing fertility services like IVF under the belief that life begins at conception. 

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